Access for the birds

Increasingly, I hear complaints from upland game bird hunters about the difficulty finding good places to hunt. The buzz continues, even though the Colorado Division of Wildlife 5 years ago initiated its highly active Walk-In program that this year will provide more than 220,000 acres to public hunters.

Will you hunt on these Walk-In lands or seek permission to hunt on private property? What’s your logic for this decision?

Perhaps a larger question might be whether your enthusiasm for pheasant or quail has dimmed in recent years? If so, what would it take to revive it? What would it take to make small game hunting in Colorado better?

A few weeks ago you ran an article on this years pheasant season. Along with the article you refered to a couple of pheasant clubs/organizaions that a hunter could join for about $100 a season ($25 for youth hunters). My wife put the article out with the recycling and now I do not know who to contact in order to join. Is it possible for me to get the information again? Maybe via the internet? Thanks for letting me know. -Kevin Stirling

Kevin Stirling

Mr. Meyers

A few weeks ago you ran an article on this years pheasant season. Along with the article you refered to a couple of pheasant clubs/organizaions that a hunter could join for about $100 a season ($25 for youth hunters). My wife put the article out with the recycling and now I do not know who to contact in order to join. Is it possible for me to get the information again? Maybe via the internet? Thanks for letting me know. -Kevin Stirling

Steve M Billets

My first love with regards to hunting is upland birds. Growing up in rural Indiana, as a kid I would just walk out back witth he shotgun and go explore the fields.

I own and hunt with Gordens Setters to this day. I do not use private land usually, but utilse state wma’s and walk in access land.

Colorado offers some great hunting for upland game on the Eastern Plains, specifically the I76 coridor starting at Fort Morgan and going to the Nebraska border. The wma’s along the South Platte can provide decent pheasant and fair to excellent quail.

There are problems though, hunter crowding beiing the worst. Some of the state wma’s are reserve sites, but CDOW officers are not very vigilante in enforcing the rules, areas with out reservation systems can be war zones.

The walk in access program is also a great opportunity, but the quality of the land can be very potluck. Some is very good and some, well some of the walk in land just idoes not have enough cover to provide for hunting.

Then as I previously mentioned I grew up hunting in the backyard and that is not the reality of any hunting in Colorado, to hunt upland birds, if you live in Metro Denver you are going to comitt to at least a hour and a half drive.

What can be done to improve the situation in Colorado?

I think that state wma’s should be regulated more stringently, reservation systems should be in place on more of these, the CDOW coould and should manage these more activlly to promote habitat for quail.

More land should go into the walk in acces program, perhaps a little closer to the metro areas.

Steve M Billets

My first love with regards to hunting is upland birds. Growing up in rural Indiana, as a kid I would just walk out back witth he shotgun and go explore the fields.

I own and hunt with Gordens Setters to this day. I do not use private land usually, but utilse state wma’s and walk in access land.

Colorado offers some great hunting for upland game on the Eastern Plains, specifically the I76 coridor starting at Fort Morgan and going to the Nebraska border. The wma’s along the South Platte can provide decent pheasant and fair to excellent quail.

There are problems though, hunter crowding beiing the worst. Some of the state wma’s are reserve sites, but CDOW officers are not very vigilante in enforcing the rules, areas with out reservation systems can be war zones.

The walk in access program is also a great opportunity, but the quality of the land can be very potluck. Some is very good and some, well some of the walk in land just idoes not have enough cover to provide for hunting.

Then as I previously mentioned I grew up hunting in the backyard and that is not the reality of any hunting in Colorado, to hunt upland birds, if you live in Metro Denver you are going to comitt to at least a hour and a half drive.

What can be done to improve the situation in Colorado?

I think that state wma’s should be regulated more stringently, reservation systems should be in place on more of these, the CDOW coould and should manage these more activlly to promote habitat for quail.

More land should go into the walk in acces program, perhaps a little closer to the metro areas.

Greg Nolan

I live in Pueblo and the walk in program is not impressive near Pueblo or east to the Kansas border. In fact my friends and I still prefer to pay the extra gas and go to Kansas. We find the habitat and walk in program much better in Kansas and the local farmers much more likely to let us hunt their land. I would like to see the division do more to promote habitat. Perhaps the division could make literature available on how farming methods and rural practices that promote habitat. For example, I live in Pueblo West on the edge of the state wildlife area. I have tried to develop my land for quail but I really am not sure if what I am doing is right as there is little information on scaled quail habitat development. Just knowing what to plant and what features to add would be helpful. I would also like to see the division change their regulations to read quail will not be shot in coveys less than eight. Not that it could be enforced but it would raise awareness that the birds are not likely to survive the winter in small coveys. Once a covey is gone, it is gone. I feel the division could do more in the area of awareness without impacting their budget constraints.

Greg Nolan

I live in Pueblo and the walk in program is not impressive near Pueblo or east to the Kansas border. In fact my friends and I still prefer to pay the extra gas and go to Kansas. We find the habitat and walk in program much better in Kansas and the local farmers much more likely to let us hunt their land. I would like to see the division do more to promote habitat. Perhaps the division could make literature available on how farming methods and rural practices that promote habitat. For example, I live in Pueblo West on the edge of the state wildlife area. I have tried to develop my land for quail but I really am not sure if what I am doing is right as there is little information on scaled quail habitat development. Just knowing what to plant and what features to add would be helpful. I would also like to see the division change their regulations to read quail will not be shot in coveys less than eight. Not that it could be enforced but it would raise awareness that the birds are not likely to survive the winter in small coveys. Once a covey is gone, it is gone. I feel the division could do more in the area of awareness without impacting their budget constraints.

greg

I belive the walkin access program is a huge bonus to the upland sport, those that complain must not remember how hard it was to get access to private land prior.Most of the properties I have used hold plenty of birdsit just turns into timing as to when you use them. I do still stop and ask permission from time to time and still get positive responces. I also see how it has grown to include waterfowl ,turkeyand now dove that its posssible to start a program that would get access for fishing.

greg

I belive the walkin access program is a huge bonus to the upland sport, those that complain must not remember how hard it was to get access to private land prior.Most of the properties I have used hold plenty of birdsit just turns into timing as to when you use them. I do still stop and ask permission from time to time and still get positive responces. I also see how it has grown to include waterfowl ,turkeyand now dove that its posssible to start a program that would get access for fishing.

Joe Conway

Where are the pheasants? I wnet hunting on opening day on walk in access properties north of Yuma and ended the day out near the Kansas border. I hunt with a setter with a good nose and only saw one bird all day – at one hundred yards. It was rare to hear a gun and I had a few hundred acres all to myself. I don’t want to go to Tamarack because it is way too crowded. I have participated in the walk in access program since the beginning but I’m discouraged – no pheasants on most of the properties. I nvever fired a shot and was on a good property with good cover at sunrise on opening day. Did anyone find birds?

Joe Conway

Where are the pheasants? I wnet hunting on opening day on walk in access properties north of Yuma and ended the day out near the Kansas border. I hunt with a setter with a good nose and only saw one bird all day – at one hundred yards. It was rare to hear a gun and I had a few hundred acres all to myself. I don’t want to go to Tamarack because it is way too crowded. I have participated in the walk in access program since the beginning but I’m discouraged – no pheasants on most of the properties. I nvever fired a shot and was on a good property with good cover at sunrise on opening day. Did anyone find birds?

Steve Ford

Being a native, some of the land that once was off-limits, or hunted by permission, is now a part of the walk-in access program. That is good in some ways- saves the time to get proper permission, for one thing, but bad, as now the location of those “old playgrounds” are well documented and traveled.
Over the last few years, the bird population has increased, but it is still rare to limit out in any area open to the public. The dog must do a very excellent job as each and every open access area has had someone leaving fresh tracks in every snowfall. It was a zoo the day after Thanksgiving. I packed up and went back home…

But that is hunting, sometimes ya find ’em and sometimes you don’t – that goes for the birds and the competition of hunters..

Steve Ford

Being a native, some of the land that once was off-limits, or hunted by permission, is now a part of the walk-in access program. That is good in some ways- saves the time to get proper permission, for one thing, but bad, as now the location of those “old playgrounds” are well documented and traveled.
Over the last few years, the bird population has increased, but it is still rare to limit out in any area open to the public. The dog must do a very excellent job as each and every open access area has had someone leaving fresh tracks in every snowfall. It was a zoo the day after Thanksgiving. I packed up and went back home…

But that is hunting, sometimes ya find ’em and sometimes you don’t – that goes for the birds and the competition of hunters..